Following the successful inaugural Global Citizen Forum, Drake International and the Engaged Citizen Experience are pleased to announce the theme for the 2020 Global Citizen Forum: International Perspectives on Privilege in Higher Education.

As it did this year, next year’s event will include a series of speakers, academic enrichment and professional development opportunities for faculty, staff, and students. The exciting news for the 2020 Global Citizen Forum is that Drake University, in conjunction with our partner university, the University of KwaZulu Natal (Durban, South Africa) will be co-sponsoring a conference on the theme.

The international conference will include inviting our international partner universities and colleagues from 15 different institutions around the world. The benefit of hosting an international conference on diversity and inclusion is the opportunity to learn from a broader worldview and have an opportunity to share struggles, strategies, and solutions. 

The conference will provide a platform to share new ideas, advance research, refine and develop frameworks, and influence policy development. If you would like to participate on the planning committee for the conference, please contact Julie Yankey, director of international partnerships, at julie.yankey@drake.edu.

One component of the Global Citizen Forum is an undergraduate research conference. As such, while developing your courses for the fall semester, we invite you to consider including research on the theme or international topics which could be presented in March 2020. We also anticipate paper development workshops and research colloquia for faculty and staff doing research on diversity and inclusion issues. More details on participating in these activities will be forthcoming in fall 2019.  

Sponsored by Drake International, The Engaged Citizen Experience, The Nelson Institute for Diplomacy and International Affairs, and other campus partners, the Global Citizen Forum is an annual event meant to provide students with opportunities to explore the role of engaged citizenship in an increasingly globalized society.

Melissa Sturm-Smith, Academic Excellence and Student Success